


Prawn Star

by synvamp



Category: RWBY
Genre: Ask Pens and Rhi and Kyra, Back in crack, Banter, But how could I resisit a pun that terrible?, Food banter, Food generally, For I know nothing, Forgive me for I have synned, Gift Fic, Hints of Smut, Humour, I don't know if it's witty but it's flirty and snarky so?, I only just chose the title, It's Clover so prawn, M/M, Not as smutty as the title implies, Prompt Fic, Qrow's not complaining, Secret Dancing Monkey, Sushi Clover, Swearing, Those merchants of chaos, super healthy Clover, takes his clothes off at literally no provocation
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-13
Updated: 2020-09-13
Packaged: 2021-03-07 01:08:32
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,297
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26368471
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/synvamp/pseuds/synvamp
Summary: Clover is not impressed by Qrow's terrible food choices, so before the man can die of a heart attack, Clover invites him over for dinner. He says he'll help Qrow learn to enjoy his food more. He really means it.
Relationships: Qrow Branwen/Clover Ebi
Comments: 7
Kudos: 22





	Prawn Star

**Author's Note:**

  * For [complexhero](https://archiveofourown.org/users/complexhero/gifts).



> Written for that master of the saucy OT3, complexhero, as part of a fic exchange. The prompts I took were: witty banter, food, banter re: food and spice. I hope you enjoy it! It was lots of fun to write something for you XD
> 
> Thank you SO much to my eagle-eyed betas, madamoiselle_sica & FaultyParagon <3

\---xxx---

Clover strode into the Mess Hall, his practised gaze picking out everyone he knew. The Ace Ops were sitting together. Harriet and Elm were waving their arms about in an animated discussion. Vine looked on with indulgent tolerance; he might be calm but he liked a spark in others. Marrow seemed a little embarrassed though. Clover smiled. Marrow was coming along so well but perhaps he could be encouraged to lighten up a little.

_Now... where would he..._

Sure enough, tucked into a corner all-but-out-of-view, was Qrow Branwen. Clover’s mind was just full to bursting with him.

Qrow Branwen; tall, lithe and about to take flight.

Qrow Branwen; a swagger in a waistcoat.

Qrow Branwen; biting his lip and letting his eyes slowly flick down.

And that shy little smile! It tugged at the corner of wry and cynical lips, lighting fair skin with the faintest rush of pink. It was just _bliss._

They’d been dancing around each other for a few weeks now. It had started with gentle banter and a few strategic winks. Clover might have shown off just a _little bit_ to make sure Qrow knew he was interested. Then Qrow started to flirt back! He would give Clover that laconic smile and say something ever-so-slightly suggestive, leaving Clover desperate to get just a _little bit more_ every time.

He looked over at Qrow, buried in his scroll and keeping the world at bay. His dark hair, dramatic attire, the lithe huntsman _swagger_ of him. He was stunning. His bone structure was so fine; jaw strong but slender, his cheekbones just _soared_. There was a slight quirk in his brow that made him look like he was having a private joke. Like he narrated his life with the same acerbic wit that cut through bullshit everywhere he went. He was wild. And Clover remembered the taste of those wild lips.

_One kiss._

One kiss was all it had taken and he was smitten. He thought he was cool, calm, even detached in a way; safe from the emotional snowstorm of love and infatuation. Then Qrow had breezed through every barrier he’d put up effortlessly, as if the single chink in Clover’s armour was, and had always been, Qrow-shaped.

Clover had worried. He’d wondered. He’d lain awake at night pondering what was good and right, what was the _dutiful thing_ to do. Then he looked into those crimson eyes and it didn’t really matter what the world thought. All that mattered was the swell in his chest, the tight, tingling rush of Qrow’s presence. Qrow's laughter lit up Clover’s day, no matter how dark. He had to have more.

Today was the day.

Clover smiled and piled his plate high, taking his meal over to where the gorgeously anti-social huntsman was hiding.

“You’re still here then?” Clover asked. Usually, Qrow and the kids ate early and were on their way to their afternoon mission allocations before Clover had finished his morning paperwork. Yet here he was all on his lonesome. 

_Lucky me._

“Yeah, Jimmy caught me trying to go over the Academy wall and put a tracker on me,” Qrow deadpanned.

“May I sit?” Clover asked, grinning. He knew that Qrow was joking, he would never leave the kids behind. The idea of the General cuffing him to the nearest tower so he couldn’t fly away _was_ pretty amusing though. And the man had looked very enticing in a pair of gravity bolas…

“Yeah,” Qrow said, giving a heart-melting little grin, "that would be nice."

Clover took a minute to memorise the exact shade of red of his eyes and sat down. Then he looked at Qrow’s plate and just _sighed_. The food at the Academy was pretty good. Clover had always enjoyed the fact that he could maintain a healthy lifestyle without having to bring a packed lunch. It seemed that Qrow had not gotten the healthy lifestyle memo. His plate was piled high with lasagne and chips. The entire mess was drowned in a pool of gravy so profound that it threatened to spill over onto the table.

Clover put down his plate of roasted vegetables and frowned, “How can you eat that?”

Qrow picked up a fork and gestured casually, “This? I just get a little bit on my fork,” he demonstrated with a soggy brown item which was probably once a chip, “I put in in my mouth like so…” he gestured, “and then I move my jaw vigorously up and down until the item is thoroughly masticated and then I swallow.” 

“Your wit is so dry, Qrow. Don't you ever get thirsty?” Clover asked.

"You know I do get a little thirsty," Qrow drawled, his eyes flicking down for a split second. Clover tried not to grin. “Let me guess…” Qrow looked at Clover’s plate, “your mum used to pack you homemade wholegrain quinoa salad every day since you were weaned?”

“Not exactly but being a huntsman is a physically demanding job. I fuel my body for the task,” Clover said. 

“I think I can keep up," Qrow replied, in his ever-so-slightly suggestive way. "So boy scout, did you come over here to give me a lecture or is there something else on your mind?”

“I came over to ask you to dinner, actually,” Clover smiled.

The red eyes widened and Qrow’s scroll hit the table with a clatter. It bumped his plate and gravy slopped onto it. Qrow growled and grabbed a paper napkin and started mopping up the mess.

Clover waited patiently and once again tried not to smile.

Finally, Qrow seemed to have gotten his composure back.

“Dinner?”

“Yes. I like cooking. I like you. I’m terrified you’ll die of a coronary before we get to have a nice night together so…” He spread his arms in an open invitation, “dinner.”

“Uh, yeah. That would be… nice.” Qrow gave a nervous little smile and Clover’s heart just about leapt out of his rib cage. How can a man so brutal and deadly have such a cute, shy little smile!? It just _destroyed him_ every single time. “When were you thinking?”

“By the look of that plate I’d say sooner is better… maybe tomorrow night?”  
  


“Uh… yeah ok,” Qrow nodded to his hands.

“Come by my quarters at about seven?”

“Yeah sure,” Qrow mumbled.

“Is there anything you don’t eat? Anything you’re allergic to?” Clover prompted, trying to get the man to look him in the eye.

“No allergies,” Qrow mumbled, then he finally glanced up and that familiar cheeky sparkle returned to his eyes, “...and no quinoa.”

“Wait, what!? I can’t make a meal without quinoa! What about my fabulous quinoa mud cake? And you haven’t _lived_ until you’ve had my quinoa, kale and wheat germ smoothie!”

“I really hope you’re joking Cloves,” Qrow laughed.

“I am _so serious_ ,” Clover said, hoping his face didn’t betray him.

“Yeah alright, whatever. Do your worst,” Qrow grinned.

“You never know, I might find something healthy that you enjoy,” Clover wiggled his brows.

“Yeah, good luck with that,” Qrow scoffed.

“Don’t need it,” Clover said. He reached out his fork and speared a soggy chip, sneaking it into his mouth with relish.

“Hey!” Qrow complained, “I thought you were all healthy life choices! You’re going to have to go for a run now.”

“A little indulgence here and there doesn’t hurt.” Clover winked and the flustered blush which touched the apples of Qrow’s cheeks was all the encouragement he needed.

\---xxx---

The corridor outside Clover’s quarters was exactly the same as every other corridor in Atlas Academy. Blue and grey, stone and steel, cold and impersonal. Qrow bounced on the balls of his feet and held his hand up to knock, for the fifth time.

_Damn it why am I so nervous?! I feel like a damn teenager!_

_It’s just dinner. You’ve eaten before. Put it in your mouth and chew, remember!? How hard can it be!?_

He let his hand fall again.

_Come on, take a deep breath and knock on the damn door._

Qrow lifted his hand again and the door swung open away from him. He let out a slightly startled yelp ( _dignified, good start_ ) and looked up into a pair of beautiful teal eyes.

“Good evening,” Clover said smoothly.

“Yeah hi,” Qrow mumbled.

Clover stepped back, “Come in.”

Qrow shuffled in and stood awkwardly as Clover closed the door.

“You look great,” the Captain said, his eyes sweeping Qrow’s form and making him feel incredibly self-conscious.

“Uh…” Qrow looked down at his outfit. It was exactly what he always wore. He suddenly realised that he should have picked out something nice. He was going on a damn date after all… “It’s what I always wear,” he said, breaking the previous world record for the most awkward expression contained by a human face.

“I know,” Clover smiled, “and you always look great.”

“Thanks. You look good too,” Qrow muttered. He was trying not to notice the relaxed jeans and loose tank top Clover was wearing. The armholes were really wide and Qrow could see a little hint of those juicy pecs just peeping out at him. In a burst of insight, he realised that he was going to spend the whole meal staring at Clover’s chest. _Fucking hell._

“Thank you,” Clover smiled. “Can I take your cape?”

“Uh, it’s kinda attached…”

_What are you saying you idiot!? When a hot guy asks you to take your clothes off you take your damn clothes off!_

Clover must have noticed how flustered he was because a warm smile lit up those gorgeous eyes, “Suit yourself,” he grinned, “I’m just going to bring out the first course, I like to eat slowly so don’t think I’m rushing you. We can take our time. Enjoy the night.”  
  


Thankfully he left to go to the kitchen and probably missed Qrow’s face trying to find the right expression for the words _take our time, enjoy the night…_ and breaking the new awkward face world record.

Qrow looked around the room. They were standard quarters but there were a few little touches that showed the character of the man that lived there; a neat, well-stocked bookshelf with a lot of crime novels and history books; a few posters of the Atlas ice hockey team; some lush beach scenes to bring the mind to a warmer climate. Qrow was just looking at the trophies in a little cabinet hidden behind a coffee table when Clover came back. “Ah, you’ve found my shame,” he joked.

“I didn’t know you played ice hockey,” Qrow said. “You must have been pretty good,” His eyebrows went up as he saw a medal for the national league. Clover had been in a team that won nationals!

“I loved it,” Clover said lightly, “It was a good way to get out my energy before I joined the military.”

Qrow turned slowly. His face stopped moving first then his shoulders, then hips and then finally his ankles ground to a halt, leaving him rooted to the spot with his mouth open.

“What do you think?” Clover asked. He was standing near the dining table shirtless, holding a platter.

Shirtless.

With no shirt on.

Naked from the waist up.

Qrow just blinked.

_Shiiiirttttleessssss._

“Don’t tell me I broke you already,” Clover said, “Ruby is going to kill me.”

“Did I miss the naked chef routine?” Qrow’s libido asked, “’cause we can get right back into that kitchen.”

“Not quite. I thought that maybe it would be good if you learned to enjoy your food more. Savour it.”

“Food, what food?” Qrow asked Clover’s left pec.

“Eyes up, baby bird.”

“I’m fine with the view, thanks,” Qrow said, caressing Clover’s chest with his gaze.

“You’ll miss the good bit,” Clover laughed.

“This isn’t the good bit!?” Qrow asked, trying his best to look somewhere else.

“We are _nowhere near_ the good bit. Here,” Clover handed the platter to Qrow. He managed to coordinate his limbs enough to take it, which was a bit of surprise to both of them.

The platter was piled high with little rice and seaweed rolls, they were filled with what looked like fish and raw vegetables, “Sushi? Did you make all this yourself? It looks great,” he said, in awe.

“Yep. I’m a man of many talents,” Clover smiled.

“You didn’t have to go to all this effort,” Qrow said, fighting the familiar urge to say he wasn’t worth it. It seemed Clover could hear the deflection even in his head.

“For you? Of course I did. Do you think I could have the hottest man in Solitas in my quarters and not show off a little bit? Have you met me?”

Qrow laughed lightly. _The hottest man in Solitas, huh?_

“I guess you are a little bit of a show-off…” he conceded.

“I am a lot of a show-off. Now, are you hungry?”

“Yeah, I’m starving!” Qrow smiled, the sushi smelled really good, “You going to get a plate or something? I’m not the best with chopsticks but if you want a laugh I’m happy to give it a go.”

“You don’t need to worry about that. We’re not going to be using utensils.”

“We’re not?”

“Nope,” Clover grinned, a twinkle in his eyes. He walked around Qrow and sat on the couch, then he swung his legs up and lay down, head propped lightly on the armrest. “Give me the platter.”

Qrow held it out and he felt a little flutter building in his stomach. _No, there’s no way he's going to…_ Clover lifted a few pieces of sushi and started arranging them on his chest.

_Oh my fucking gods he is._

Qrow watched with a mixture of horniness and terror as Clover arranged a generous selection of sushi on his chest and stomach. Finally, when he was happy with the display, he turned his eyes to Qrow, teal orbs lit with pure glee.

“Alright then, _bon_ _appétit_.”

“Cloves…” Qrow choked out, trying to form an appropriate sentence while having a complete meltdown.

“Qrow,” Clover said back.

“When you said you wanted me to enjoy my food more…”

“You don’t like it? I could put my clothes back on if you want?” Clover teased.

“No! No, no, no, no, no… no. No. _No_. Do not do that,” Qrow said, as smooth as a rusty garbage truck with no shock absorbers driving over a skip full of broken cheese graters.

Clover laughed, “Well, come here then. It’ll just get warm otherwise and warm sushi is no good.”

Qrow came closer and leant down. The smell of the food and the sight of Clover’s naked torso made him feel like he hadn’t eaten for a week.

“I thought you wanted me to eat less meat?” he joked, kneeling by the couch.

“The thought did occur to me,” Clover said.

“Then why serve me up nothing but beefcake?” Qrow grinned. He was trying to keep the conversation light but all he could see was the tiny line of hair whispering from Clover’s bellybutton down below his waistband. It looked so soft… oh _fuck._

“You can have the beefcake for dessert,” Clover winked.

_That did not fucking help, Clover._

“Uh… so how should I…?” Qrow asked.

“Well, I have it on good authority that you put it in your mouth and then move your jaw up and down vigorously un..”

“Ha ha,” Qrow grumbled.

“No fingers. No utensils. I want you to _savour every mouthful_.”

Seeing Clover laid out like this, his chest bare, his eyes half-closed, a sexy smirk playing on his lips… it was making Qrow’s mouth water.

_Savour every mouthful, huh? Well I think I can manage that at least._

Qrow leaned forward. Clover watched him intently as he hovered near the closest piece of sushi. He scooped it up into his mouth and his lips brushed the warmth of Clover’s chest. He felt the hot skin shiver under his lips as Clover's breath quavered then recovered. Qrow breathed him in. He smelled of clean soap with notes of musk and sweat threatening to break through... Qrow blinked in surprise as Clover chuckled.

“Chew, remember; jaw up and down."

“Yeah, yeah,” Qrow muttered, finally coming back to the world enough to taste the food in his mouth. It was delicious. Light and perfectly seasoned, the little morsel melted away into a blissful little hit of prawn. “Geez Cloves, this is _amazing_. And the sushi is good too.”

“You are such a flirt,” Clover said. 

“Me!? You know you’re half-naked right?” Qrow let the banter distract him. How the hell was he going to get through this without making an absolute horny idiot out of himself? There was _no damn way_.

“I had noticed.” Clover’s fingers raked gently through his hair. His eyes flicked to Qrow's lips and he smiled.

_Oh well, I guess I just have to go with the flow._

Qrow lowered his mouth for another morsel. He let his tongue flick between moist lips, tasting the salt on Clover’s skin. 

"I could live just on the taste of your skin," the words just tumbled out of him unbidden. 

Clover smiled. He slowly tilted his chin up and closed his eyes. A light tremor ran through him as his chest swelled with a deep breath. He let it out between his teeth. “Qrow… I think you might have missed.”

“Oh sorry.” Qrow muttered, “I think you have a little left here, I’m just making sure I get everything.”  
  


Qrow stroked his thumb along Clover’s jaw and the teal eyes fluttered open. Qrow brushed his thumb over wet lips and Clover chased his touch. Qrow watched his thumb being kissed by that plump, pink bottom lip. His mouth went dry.

“You’re meant to be eating, Qrow,” Clover's complaint ended in a gasp as warm lips closed on a nipple.

“Mmmmmm I am...” Qrow muttered, “How am I meant to save dessert until later though when you're like this?” Qrow kissed gently along a little rise of muscle, every taste making him crave more.

_Clover, you're just delicious…_

“Aren’t you hungry?” Clover asked, pretending he was still interested in dinner.

“I’m starving…” Qrow growled. “I had _no idea_ how hungry I was until just now…”

He ate a piece of sushi, just to make Clover happy. He chewed it slowly, licking his lips for the last hints of salt. Clover lifted his arms a little and stretched back, making sure Qrow saw every tantalising curve. Qrow lightly kissed the throat offered to him and Clover moaned just a whisper when he pressed a love bite into his chest. 

“You’re meant to be learning to eat healthy,” Clover said but his sentence turned into a soft huff of pleasure as Qrow teased his other nipple with a hot tongue, circling ever so slowly. 

“A little indulgence here and there doesn’t hurt, Cloves…”

“You absolute terror,” Clover sighed, letting his head fall back.

“I can stop if you like…” Qrow said, moving his lips away and letting his warm breath puff onto wet skin.

“Mmmm… I think we could always have dessert first and come back to the sushi later…” Clover moaned.

“I’m just getting started,” Qrow lips trailed down the gorgeous rise of muscle that was Clover’s right pec. “I see what you mean; eating healthy is a lot better than I remember. I have to ask though…” he said, kissing his way slowly to that enticing line of soft down.

“Yes?” Clover managed, his voice deep, strained. 

“Do you have any gravy?”

“No, I do not have any gravy,” Clover chuckled breathlessly.

“Oh well,” Qrow drawled, popping the button on Clover’s jeans and sliding the zip down with his teeth, “I guess I’ll have to make do…”

\---xxx---


End file.
